 We have known now for over a year that Patrician
Brothers' Primary, Fairfield, would close its gates for the last time
at the end of the 2006 school year. That time is nigh.What we now know as Patrician Brothers' College, began in 1953 with 170 primary students in Years 4, 5, and 6. The primary section of the college remained on the college campus until 1993 when it took up residence across the creek and behind the parish church. At the end of 2003 the principalship was handed over to the first lay teacher to hold this position: Mr Warren Loy. He will have the privilege of being the school's last principal. Five Patrician Brothers have been in charge of the primary, they were Brothers Celestine Mulhall, Richard Doheny, Joseph Byrne, Thomas Rice, and Nicholas Harsas. (Photo: Br Aengus addresses the school assembly while Mr Loy and some of the Brothers look on.)  In 2005 it was
formally announced that the school would close at the end of 2006. This
decision was made by the Sydney Catholic Education Office (CEO) in
conjunction with the Catholic arch-diocese to whom the school
ultimately belongs. It has been a policy of the CEO since the early
1960s to eventually close all small schools and to form larger schools
which can run more effectively and efficiently. All of the Patrician
Brothers schools which have closed since 1963 have closed as a result
of this policy: Redfern, Waterloo, Sefton, Forest Lodge, Ryde,
Liverpool, Blacktown, Granville, and now Fairfield. (Photo: Mr Loy presents Br Aengus
with a donation for Papua New Guinea.)It is with great regret that the Brothers view the closure of their last primary school in Australia. Yes, the school may have been small with just under three hundred boys in Year 5 and 6, but it was a most successful school in all the many ways success can be judged. The school has enjoyed a reputation for excellence for many years. Closure ceremonies have been taking place since the end of 2005 when the school did not take in any new students and the school lost half of its staff. These staff were given an appropriate farewell. On the 10th November just past, several Brothers visited the school for the last time. They addressed the school assembly, visited classrooms, and enjoyed lunch with the school staff. During the visit, Principal Warren Loy presented Br Aengus with a financial donation towards the Brothers' work in Papua New Guinea.
|
